"Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities to live in," says MCEC Director Edoardo De Martin. "It has everything an international world-class city has. This is one of the reasons Microsoft is investing here."

The formal event, followed by the official signing of a Surface Hub, took place shortly after the tech demonstration tours.

"It is amazing to see what we have the opportunity to do," says Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft. "we believe not only in this country and its people, but we believe in its leadership."

Microsoft Canada Excellence Centre has opened its doors to over 500 employees, and this is only the beginning.

"I'm so excited to see so many brilliant young minds pushing the envelope of what we thought might be possible even only a few years ago," says Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

The Garage Internship program is an internship like no other. The teams focus on not only bringing new and innovative ideas to the table, but they strive to change the way we live.

This program invites interns to build apps for Microsoft's most exciting platforms and devices.

The centre is also home to our acquainted teams. Familiar projects like Skype and OneNote are only two examples of developments that are being worked on at the MCEC.

"we're building a tech house here in British Columbia," says Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services of BC, Hon. Amrik Virk.